220 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



[Bulletin Mensuel De La Societe Zoologiquc D'Acclimation, No. 3, March, 1857.j 



From this work, which like many other valuable ones laid upon 

 our table by France, free of charge, as is also the case with the 

 works from the Emperor of Austria, Emperor of Russia, and the 

 Kingdom of England, we make the following extracts : 



INTRODUCTION OF THE CAMEL INTO BRAZIL. 

 Report of the Committee, by Mons. Dareste, the Chairman. 



Translated by IT. Meigs. 



The Brazilian government has recently determined to try the 

 dromedary in many of its provinces. The experiment has every 

 chance of success. It is known that there are two species of 

 camels — that with two bunches on its back and that with one, or 

 as Aristotle described them 2,200 years ago : The Bactrian camel 

 with two humps on his back, and the Arabian camel with one. 

 The first race occupies the centre of Asia, between the sea of 

 Aral, Siberia, Thibet and China j and the other Persia, Syria, Ara- 

 bia, Egypt, Northern Africa and Senegal. When carefully exa- 

 mined, we find that notwithstanding the topographical and climate 

 difference of the countries inhabited by these two species, tliat 

 notwithstanding the great difference of latitude, and consequently ot 

 temperature, these countries, in certain respects, present a remark- 

 able uniformity. 



The dromedary goes three days without eating and three months 

 without drinking, without appearing to sufier from such absti- 

 nence. It has in its stomach a reservoir of water, pure, and per- 

 haps the creature produces it. No traveller dares to say that the 

 dromedary ever drinks a drop for the two last months in autumn, 

 during winter, or during all the spring. Hov/ever extraordinary 

 this seems it is true. Daubenton thought that the reservoirs 

 were to keep the water drank ; Cuvier thought that the reservoir 

 secreted water. At the commencement of summer, the drome- 

 dary drinks, then waits fifteen days, then thirteen, then twelve, 

 and finally seven days interval — this is the shortest between 

 drinks, whatever be the fiitigue of the journey or the heat of the 

 weather. 



j^otes. — Daubenton examined these reservoirs or water last cen- 

 tury, but did not properly describe them. Cuvier thought that 

 they had the power of secreting water. General Carbuccia has 



